Lumenmort
History In the very early days of the Lich Kings era, a small human tribe came under the subjugation of The Elven Lich King Genwen Thron and those of his empire treated the humans as chattel to be cultivated, traded and slaved as necessary. However, after years of poaching and intermingling with Elven society, a portion of the tribal population began to show propensity for magic.These humans earned at least some small stature in Genwen Thron's society and were called the Veneficus.They were given a measure of freedom in return for civil service under much more powerful magus regents.With this newfound autonomy, the Veneficus officially called their state Lumenmort. The humans who showed no skill for magic then became the lowest of classes, called the Venator. These humans were forced into generational slavery under both the elven and Veneficus.Though they lacked numbers and power, the Venator often revolted and proved a head-strong and unruly subject.In order to survive, the venator thus began to cultivate natural skills, such as hunting, athletics, weaponry and sailing. As the covenant of the Lich Kings dissolved into war, the Veneficus were given even more power, serving in Genwen Thron's army, even commanding their own platoons. In order to field large armies of slaved Ogres, Minotaur, and Venator, Thron and his newly appointed Veneficus Arcane council of 11, began to build larger and larger seafaring 'nomad cities', the Nationtakers. These massive war machines and mobile economic outposts gave Genwen Thron a momentary edge in his struggle abroad; however they greatly depleeted his domestic resources, forcing him to give complete autonomy to Lumenmort. This proved disastorus for the Veneficus. Led by a young outlaw, Wolfang Skaar, and a slave warrior, Voltor Blacktide, the Venator rose up against the Veneficus. The initial strike was a shock to all of Orn, as Skaar and Blacktide managed to commandeer a Nationtaker. After an unsuccesful attempt to dominate the Ogres and Minotaurs as the Lich Kings had, the rebels freed the monsters and gained the support of other nearby slaves, igniting small and large revolts continent wide. The venator then blockaded Lumenmort. Genwen Thron was forced to abort a campaign in Irongrad out of fear for having a hostile Nationtaker on the seas. Thron set chase to the Venator Nationtaker with two of his own, in a spectacular and legendary battle at sea.The venator set loose fire arrows andcatapult boulders, while the undead king summoned mighty sea creatures and fire bolts of his own. Then, in a stunning move, Wolfgang Skaar led a horde of Minotaur in boarding one of the Lich Nationtakers. The Minotaur massacred the crew and won the Nationtaker for the rebels. It is said that during the battle Wolfgang Skaar was in possession of a mysterious arcane artifact from unknown lands to the far south, the Jade Monkey. The powers and function of the Jade Monkey, or even details of its very existence, have been lost with the fall of the Skaarsgaard family. What is known is that Skaar did battle with Genwen Thron, and through whatever magicks, both disappeared, never to be seen again. With their leader vanished and their enemies now in possession of two Nationtakers, Thron's former forces collapsed, leaving Blacktide and his fellow slave-warrior-officers to fill the new power void. In Lumenmort, The Arcane Council saw that without Genwen Thron's protection, they would be vulnerable to the remaining Lich Kings looking to expand their empires and win the war. The Council decided it was best to tolerate the new Piratocracy, and to fortify their State while War of the Lich Kings still raged in Rok. Politics Leadership Lumenmort is a massive City-State ruled by 11 wizards, sorcerors and other magic-user types known as the Arcane Council of Eleven. Slavetrade Lumenmort conducts an enormous slave trade via massive sea vessels the council refers to as Assimilation Envoys. The rest of Rok knows them as Nation Takers. They earned this title due to their purported ability to enslave entire nations during The War of the Lich Kings. The Nationtakers are massive carrier ships which each house between a dozen to one hundred smaller slave ships. The largest Nationtakers are not unlike enormous floating cities with their own small governance and economy. A slave may live for years on one of these vessels before it reaches its destination, and during this time toil to sustain the ships infrastructure. Nationtakers commonly double as outposts for merchant vessels and may have their own small fishing or agriculture industries. The character of any give ship varies greatly depending upon the ship's Admiral. Some function almost as communities, their human cargo recieving relatively humane treatment and sufficient food and health care. Others are akin to seafaring prisons or concentration camps. Category:Lumenmort Category:Nation States of Rok